Echoes of the Past
by JazziePerson
Summary: TV Show Episode Title Challenge - Prompt Set #18: Title Challenge: Shiny Happy People - Garcia's snapshot in time.


**Author's Note: **Yay! Another prompt piece. I just saw this prompt and it just seemed like something Garcia would say. I could just see her picking up the phone and saying 'Hello, my shiny happy people!' but I decided to do a more introspective piece. It was fun. I hope you enjoy it and please review.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

**Prompt Set #18**

Show: Angel

Title Challenge: Shiny Happy People

Echoes of the Past

Penelope Garcia sat back in satisfaction. The case was over. Her Morgan had just called her to tell her that they'd got the guy, the takedown had gone down without any complications and they'd be home in about two hours. It was a good day. Well, a better day than the ones they usually had. Only one teenage girl had died; the other three had been saved and taken to hospital. Although the reality would be hard for the parents facing the death of their own teenage daughter, three other sets would be overjoyed and that made it a better day than it had started. Because of course, it had started with being woken at three am to try and find four abducted teenage girls.

Garcia smiled and closed the windows on her monitor. She didn't have to do anymore snooping into the teenager's lives. She could look at nice things now. Nice things like baby pandas. In her move to lean on her desk again, a photograph caught Garcia's eye. She'd put it on her desk a while ago, had it framed so that she could look at it when life was rough. It was her favourite photo of all time.

It had been taken in the bullpen actually. It looked like they were sitting on and at Emily's desk with Hotch's office behind them. Emily was sat actually on her desk with her knees up against her chest. She was grinning like a maniac, her head on one side. At the time, Garcia had thought about photoshopping it to make it look like Emily's head was resting on Hotch's shoulder. He was sitting right beside her after all. But anyway, Garcia was too concerned by how fast Emily was able to pull her gun and a stunt like that would definitely warrant being angry in Emily's book.

Back to the photo, Hotch was resting on the desk beside Emily, his hands in his pockets. He wasn't exactly _smiling_ but he did look happier than he usually did around the office. He was looking at Emily with a strange expression on his face, which Garcia took to be 'what _are_ you doing?'. It made her smile just to look at her boss happy. He deserved it after all. He'd had a rough year with the Reaper and Haley.

Jack was curled between Emily and Hotch. He was pointing at the camera with a big grin on his face. Presumably it was a paperwork day and Hotch had brought Jack in to spend some time with the team. It wasn't uncommon for that to happen, not anymore. But it did make Garcia's heart warm to see Jack so happy, especially after all that he and his family had been through. He was only five and already, he'd seen much more horror than someone ten times his age. Well, other than the members of the BAU.

JJ was relaxed in Emily's chair, her feet up on the desk. Her long hair was splayed out over the back of the chair and she was laughing. She looked really happy. Garcia was pleased to see that. JJ deserved to be happy, like Hotch, like all of them. They worked so hard to save and protect people: they deserved all the happiness that was possible.

Derek was leaning on the back of the chair, looking down at JJ. He looked like he was shaking his head, bemused at the antics of his fellow teammates. His hair had started growing back recently which had earned him merciless teasing from the rest of the team. This he had taken good-naturedly but had told Garcia in private that he was getting rid of it as soon as possible.

Reid was actually sitting on the floor by JJ's legs. He was cross legged with a book in his lap looking up at Emily with irritation on his face. What was annoying him wasn't obvious in the photo but judging by the way Emily's foot was just hanging off the edge of the desk, it looked like she'd just nudged his head with the toe of her boot. Reid's indignant expression could have had something to do with the way Derek's smile was almost reaching his ears.

And then good ole Rossi was standing at the sides with his hands in his trouser pockets like Hotch. He seemed to be content with observing the proceedings rather than being a part of them. That was like Rossi, never getting involved in the madness but always laughing at it from a little distance. That was the way it was.

Garcia smiled at the photo. It was nice to see them happy. She presumed she'd been the one taking the photo as she wasn't in it. But she still liked it.

It was a couple of hours later. Garcia was sitting at Emily's desk, waiting for the team to come in. The doors opened and Garcia heard a shout of laughter. She spun in her chair or rather Emily's chair and watched as the team crowded into the bullpen, laughing and joking after a long but ultimately good day. It was for days like this that they did what they did and it made Garcia smile to see her photo alive again.


End file.
